What if I told you that training hard has nothing to do with how much you sweat, grunt, shout, or how sore you get after?
The best powerlifters rarely touch the heaviest weight they can
lift.
The best runners rarely run as fast as they can over race distance.
The best martial artists rarely spar all rounds at 100% effort.
You know who push 100% in every single session? Amateurs.
Developing as an athlete (even if you're just an amateur trainee!) in any domain requires maturity. Maturity towards your plan of action. This means doing the boring work. Showing up each day. Doing more over time. All of this WITHOUT seeing progress every session, or even every week.
This is what is really hard about the process of athletic development.
Can you show up to the gym and stick to the plan, even when you feel weaker than last week? Or do you programme-hop or switch to other exercises for novelty?
Can you go out and run when you know it's a distance you've done before many times, at a pace that's routine for you? Can you do the intervals when you're not feeling motivated? Or do you change the plan and try to empty the tank for novelty's sake?
I have come across two examples this week that illustrate this point, one from lifting, one from running.
Lifting: One young bodybuilder who I have known for a while has been riddled with injuries for years. Every time I check up on his training, he is lifting as hard as he can, often with poor technique, and regularly changing his approach to get something to work. He just loves to train hard. But, the truth is that, if he really
wanted to do what's hard for him, it would be to strip back the weight, slow down his reps, clean up his technique, and accept sessions that are 'good enough'.
Running: This example comes up all the time. Most runners use Strava, which often incentivises them to post something impressive, and thus they don't want to run slow.
Their 'easy runs' come with a heart rate of 160-180bpm, and structured runs turn into personal best attempts. What's really hard for many runners is to accept the slower, more boring sessions.
Instead of thinking about training hard as '100% effort every time', think about it in terms of doing what needs to be done. This means approaching your rehab work,
'accessory exercises', recovery runs, planned cardio sessions etc. with enthusiasm and focus. It's the plan as a whole that is important, not just the hero work that should really only feature every now and then.
As I always say, focus on building fitness, not testing fitness.
On that note, if you are unsure how to put all of this into practice, you may need coaching. If you are interested in expert guidance with your health, performance, or body composition goals, hit the link here and let's talk!
